This past year has brought a number of unexpected challenges that have placed significant financial pressure on our store. In the fall of 2025, we launched our second Community Investment Campaign with a goal of raising $220,000 to fund necessary updates and to our Deli and Meat departments. To date, we have raised $35,000. While we are grateful to everyone who has invested, we remain significantly short of our goal.

 The equipment in these departments had reached a point where it was at risk of failure. We could not afford to wait, so we moved forward with the necessary remodels by taking on outside loans.

At the same time, rising product costs and fuel surcharges have put ongoing pressure on our margins. We held delayed price increases for as long as we could but ultimately had to adjust prices to reflect the new cost of doing business. Road construction outside the store this past summer resulted in significant sales declines for months.  

While sales are beginning to stabilize, the impact of those lost sales will affect our financial results this year. None of these challenges were part of the plan. Together, however, they have created a financial strain that is forcing us to make some difficult choices.

We love this store. We believe deeply in what a community-owned grocery store can do, and we know the impact we can continue to have in Hudson and the surrounding community.

That's why we are asking our nearly 2,000 Owners to help us through this challenging time.

If each of us does a little, together we can make a tremendous difference.

 We are asking for support in whatever way works for your budget and your life. There is no single right way to help, and every contribution—large or small—matters.

Here is what you can do to help:

1. Keep Choosing Your Co-op

The simplest way to support us is to continue shopping at your store.

And, when you are able, consider purchasing one additional item during your visit. Research shows that for every $1 spent at a co-op, $1.60 in local revenue is generated. So, an additional $5 spent at the store can generate approximately $8 in local economic activity.

When you shop here, you are not simply buying groceries—you are helping support local vendors, local jobs, and our local economy.

2. Add a Donation Leaf to our Tree

You'll soon see a large tree at the front of the store.  At the register, you can purchase a $5, $10, or $20 "donation leaf." You can write your name or reason for supporting our co-op on it andadd it to the tree. One hundred percent of these donations will go directly toward supporting your co-op. A $5 gift may feel small, but when nearly 2,000 Owners each contribute what they can, those small gifts can become something powerful.

3. Consider a Long-Term Investment

Our Community Investment Campaign will continue through December 31, 2026, and there are several ways owners can make a longer-term investment:

• Preferred Stock Purchases: $500 per share, with a guaranteed annual dividend of 2.5%.

• Owner Loans: Owners may choose an interest rate of up to 5%, with a 15-year term.

Part of the co-op difference is our unique ability to raise funds through our strongest supporters: our co-op Owners! We have a variety of ways you can financially support Hudson Grocery Co-op. Your investment provides Hudson Grocery Co-op the capital to successfully execute this transformation and put our cooperatively-owned grocery store on a solid financial foundation.

 If you have additional questions, read our FAQs or email GM@hudsongrocery.coop or invest@hudsongrocery.coop